Belmont Park opens tomorrow April 26 and once again the Long Island Rail Road is partnering with the New York Racing Association to provide regular train service to and from the racetrack for the entire racing season.

Tomorrow, the first LIRR’s “Belmont Special” will leave Penn Station at 10:58 AM, making stops at Woodside and Jamaica and arriving at the track at 11:33. The LIRR’s “Belmont Special” ticket package entitles LIRR customers to a $1 discount off the regular $3 grandstand admission.

A second train leaves Penn Station at 11:41 AM and makes the same stops arriving at Belmont Park at 12:33 PM. Racing fans from Brooklyn can catch those trains at Jamaica by taking either the 10:45 AM or 11:45 AM trains from Atlantic Terminal. At the end of the racing day, trains will depart Belmont Park at 3:42 PM and 6 PM.

Belmont’s spring-summer season runs through July 14 and includes the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes; the oldest and longest leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, on Saturday, June 8. The LIRR will provide extra train service for the Belmont Stakes.

The LIRR-NYRA partnership calls for the racing agency to subsidize the cost of operating the LIRR Belmont service so that it is a break-even proposition for the Railroad.

First race post time is 12:50 PM. tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. Then, beginning May 1, post time moves to 1:05 p.m., with the following exceptions: Belmont Stakes Day post time is 11:35 AM. On the following Fridays, June 14, June 21, June 28, July 5 and July 10, post is 3 PM. There is no racing on Mondays and Tuesdays, with the exception of Monday, May 27. There is no racing on Wednesday, May 29 & July 10, and on Sunday June 9.

LIRR Service to Belmont Park:
Trains to and from Belmont Park will run at the following times:

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

Eastbound
• 10:58 AM from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside at 11:10 AM and Jamaica at 11:19 AM will arrive at Belmont Park at 11:33 AM.
• 11:41 AM from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica at 12:01 PM will arrive at Belmont Park at 12:32 PM. (A connecting train departs Woodside at 11:46 AM for a transfer at Jamaica)

Westbound
• 3:42 PM from Belmont Park, stopping at Jamaica at 3:55 PM, Woodside at 4:12 PM will arrive at Penn Station at 4:22 PM.
• 6 PM train from Belmont Park, stopping at Jamaica at 6:19 PM, Woodside at 6:31 PM will arrive at Penn Station at 6:41 PM. (Note: The departure time for this train is approximate, since this train is scheduled to depart 30 minutes after the last race.)

Westbound
• 4:27 PM train from Belmont Park, stopping at Jamaica at 4:40 PM will arrive at Penn Station at 5:08 PM. (A connecting train at Jamaica will arrive Woodside at 5:10 PM)
• 6:27 PM train from Belmont Park, stopping at Jamaica at 6:42 PM and Woodside at 6:53 PM will arrive at Penn Station at 7:04 PM. (Note: The departure time for this train is approximate, since this train is scheduled to depart 30 minutes after the last race.)

Belmont Park Spring Meet Timetable
Belmont customers should pick up the special Belmont Park Spring Meet Timetable at LIRR ticket offices. The Belmont timetable can also be found on the MTA website at www.mta.info/lirr.

Purchase Tickets In Advance
To avoid higher on-board fares and save time, customers should purchase round-trip tickets in advance. (Please note: CityTicket is not valid for travel to or from Belmont Park.) Belmont Package tickets are available at LIRR ticket offices as well as from the gray, blue, and green Touch Screen ticket machines at stations – just press the "Deals & Getaways" button on the first screen; then select "Belmont Park." Payment can be made with cash, ATM/Debit or Credit Cards (blue machines don’t accept cash). Tickets are not sold at Belmont Station.

Weekly and monthly ticket holders can use their tickets for travel to Jamaica and need only purchase a $11 round-trip package ticket at an LIRR station prior to boarding the Belmont Special to cover the fare between Belmont Park and Jamaica. Round-trip tickets are not sold on-board trains. A one-way ticket from Jamaica to Belmont, purchased at an LIRR station to use in conjunction with a monthly or weekly ticket, is $7. One-way tickets for travel between Jamaica and Belmont, sold on trains to use in conjunction with a monthly or weekly ticket, are $12.

LIRR Train Fares to Belmont Park by Zone:

From New York, Brooklyn, and Woodside:
Purchased at Station: One Way - $8.00 / Round-trip- $14.00
Purchased On-Board Train: One Way- $14.00 / Round-trip – Not sold on train

From Jamaica
Purchased at Station: One Way - $7.00 / Round-trip- $11.00
Purchased On-Board Train: One Way - $12.00 / Round-trip - Not sold on train

LIRR tickets are valid for 60 days including date of sale and refundable for 60 days including the date of sale. Refunds are subject to a $10 processing fee per transaction.

Accessibility
The LIRR’s Belmont Station is not wheelchair accessible, and there are no elevators and only limited escalator service. It is necessary to use a staircase to and from most train platforms.

For More Information
For additional information, racing fans can contact the LIRR's Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and say: Long Island Rail Road. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach LIRR at 511. Customers can also consult the MTA website at www.mta.info/lirr. For information on races and admission to Belmont Park, call 516-488-6000 or visit NYRA’s website at www.nyra.com.